Opus Central Laboratories
Opus Central Laboratories is an independent, world-class research and advisory facility located in Lower Hutt. Our researchers includes: geographers, chemists, psychologists, environmental scientists, research engineers, physicists and materials scientists. We specialise in providing research and innovative solutions for issues and problems facing our settlements and physical infrastructure. Our strong relationships with diverse stakeholders in national and local government, business, and private sector industries, provide a solid practical basis for all our work. Through a combination of commercial and public-good projects we interact and work with stakeholders and in partnership with other research organisations to provide the latest understanding of issues. We have developed a diverse urban research portfolio, investigating ‘how cities work’ through four major research programmes funded by the Foundation for Research Science and Technology (FRST) and a number of smaller research projects for the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). A synopsis is given below for each of these research themes. In addition to this public good research, we are recognised experts in the analysis of travel survey data, having extensive involvement in the analysis of national and regional Household Travel Survey data.
Our Public Good Research
In addition to the Transport, Energy and Urban Form programme, the Opus Central Laboratories team have been involved in a wide array of public good research in New Zealand. Selected publications from the research programmes can be found under Publications.
Learning Sustainability (FRST, 2003-2009)
The principal outcome of the Learning Sustainability programme is knowledge to facilitate more sustainable New Zealand settlements. To accomplish this, we set out to determine the relationship between the urban form and environmental, social, and economic performance of our settlements. Major components of this programme included examining the relationship of form to transport networks, the major components of settlement liveability, the role of commercial and retail areas within urban form, relationships between form and environmental performance, and settlement governance. These components were explored across a range of scales from the neighbourhood level, as in gated communities, through to the metropolitan scale in growth management strategies.
Reduced CO2 through Sustainable Household Travel (FRST, 2004-2009)
This programme is helping New Zealand agencies such as Auckland Regional Transport Agency, NZTA and Ministry of Transport to reduce CO2 emissions from household transport by providing understanding of behaviour and motivations underlying transport fuel use. This knowledge will help to support effective strategies to reduce household transport energy consumption. This research has identified the causes of the observed growth in fuel consumption by relating this to accessibility demands, to reliance on private motor vehicles, and to social and behavioural aspects particular to New Zealand culture. The latter include demographics, life stage, and the socio-economic status of New Zealand households. Key projects within the programme have identified household transport trends in New Zealand, both in shorter form via household and regional travel surveys analysis over the 1989-2006 period, and in longer form from 1900 onwards using secondary information. We have examined the key relationship between recreational travel and vehicle uptake and vehicle choice, attitudes about public-transport, concerns of safety with regard to uptake of larger vehicles, and the social and economic impacts that would occur if vehicle use was restricted without alternatives in place.
Social and Economic Recovery from Natural Disasters through Community Resilience (FRST, 2005-2010)
This research aims to enhance the resilience of New Zealand urban communities so as to bring about a more rapid social and economic recovery following a devastating natural disaster. The research is aimed at understanding the likely response of New Zealanders to the disruption caused by a natural disaster and the subsequent recovery process. Mobility, communication and information are fundamental in that they bind our communities and underpin their resilience. This research examines these fundamentals to gain an understanding of our need for these in the initial response, how they shape our behaviours, and their contribution to social and economic recovery. Increased resilience will speed up social recovery, and social recovery connects to economic recovery. This programme quantifies this inter-relationship and fits it to a New Zealand context. Key projects have examined travel behaviours and motivations after a disaster has occurred, information needs and sources most trusted by the public, return to work behaviours, factors influencing business location and their subsequent retention after a disaster, and the recovery of businesses following the Gisborne earthquake in December 2007.
Research Projects for the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA)
The NZTA funds transport-related research on an annual basis. The research must be developed in consultation with end users, and with reference to the NZTA’s Approach to Research 2009–12. In October each year, the NZTA publish a list of transport-related areas that will be considered for funding. Opus has been successful in obtaining funding for many of these shorter-term research projects over the years.
Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL)
BERL is a recognized leader in the provision of applied business and economic research. As New Zealand’s longest-standing independent economics consultancy, BERL has experience across a wide range of industries and areas of economic development. These include:
- transport and infrastructure, including roads, airports, viability of existing and new air services, ports, stadiums, and sports facilities. The impacts of these projects on land use and the economies around them
- regional development, making extensive use of the BERL Regional database, which provides employment, GDP, business units, labour productivity, industry profiles and concentration, transport use, tourism and other data for every territorial local authority in New Zealand
- labour market studies
- Māori resources and economic development
- education sector, especially tertiary training and skills
- Industry studies
- international links between New Zealand and trading partners.
Some BERL projects relevant to the work we are currently undertaking with Opus Central Laboratories for FRST include:
Investing for Growth: Economic Importance of AMETI (2007)
The objective of the report was to assess the likely economic impacts of Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative AMETI, building on the experience of analyses of the Eastern Transport Corridor (ETC) in 2004, and other subsequent BERL work on transport and urban development in Auckland Region. This, and further work assisted to obtain funding to continue AMETI development despite it failing to reach the hurdle BCR.
In 2004, BERL completed reports on the economic and strategic importance of the Eastern Transport Corridor developments as then proposed. The report prepared for Auckland City Council, Manukau City Council and Transit New Zealand was Investing for Growth: Economic and Strategic Importance of the Eastern Transport Corridor, Kel Sanderson et.al., March 2004.
BERL Growth Model for the Selwyn District (2008)
This project involved developing an Excel-based model of population, household, and employment growth in the Selwyn District to 2041. The project made use of econometric analysis in order to forecast growth. It included a range of factors that could prevent the forecast growth from occurring uninhibited. These constraints included limits on business land, residential land, infrastructure such as water supply and wastewater systems, and traffic congestion. The model will inform the District’s Long-Term Council Community Plan, and support the District in planning as part of the Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy.
Economic Impact of the Western Ring Route: Waterview Connection (2007)
BERL was commissioned to complete an assessment of the economic impacts of the alternative options proposed for the Western Ring Route: Waterview Connection.
The objectives of the economic impact assessment were:
- To determine the potential economic impacts that can be realised on the long term as a consequence of implementing the Waterview Connection of SH20.
- To analyse the impact of different interchange connections for the alignment at the Great North Road interchange, connecting to the Great North Road/ Blockhouse Bay Road Intersection.
- To explore the potential impacts on the community and employment of the connections effects on Pak’N’Save.
NaWS Business Land Demand and Use Projections (2006)
This project combined existing land use by industry coefficients with the BERL multi-industry CGE model to develop projections of business land requirements for Auckand Region's Northern and Western Sector (NaWS). This sector comprises the Waitakere and North Shore Cities together with Rodney District. Several projections were developed ranging from a 'business as usual' scenario to a 'high growth' scenario. The sensitivity of industry land use coefficients was also tested.
The purpose of the exercise was to set a benchmark for future land needs. The analysis provides a framework from which various assumptions around land availability, industry composition and land use can be applied. In turn, this helps determine the appropriate mechanisms needed to enable and ensure appropriate levels and types of employment growth.
Wellington Land Transport Package: Social and Economic Impacts (2004)
BERL worked with the project work group comprised of professionals from the local authorities and the Government Ministries including Transport, The Treasury, and Ministry of Economic Development.
BERL completed an assessment of the context of Wellington region’s form, function, transport system, and economic development. We then assessed the economic and social impacts of the various package scenarios. This involved considering the relationships among package components including Passenger Transport (PT), active mode usage, Transport Demand Management (TDM), Road Pricing including boundary tolls etc as utilised in the Auckland Transport Package analysis. We also considered economic and social impacts including access generated by the urban form, and the additional mobility interventions for affected groups.
We drew together the report which was delivered to the overall project steering group, and presented and elaborated the economic and social impacts to the whole-of-government group.
Transmission Gully and Coastal Route: Associated land use response (2009) for NZ Transport Agency
BERL contributed the economic analyses and the land use components of this SKM study.
Economic Impact of a Wellington Long-Haul Airlink (2008) for Positively Wellington Tourism and Wellington International Airport
This work and earlier work over a long period on Wellington Airport, and more recently on Christchurch International Airport; Hawke’s Bay Airport; Dunedin Airport; Rarotonga-Los Angeles air service and other BERL studies have developed regional transport demand analyses and economic impact information.
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